US may meet Taliban for February meetings

Taliban negotiators say they'll meet their US counterparts on February 18 in Islamabad, but the US State Department says no such meeting has been formalised.

Abdul Qadir Sediqi

ReutersFebruary 14, 201910:58am

Taliban negotiators will meet their US counterparts on February 18 in Pakistan's capital Islamabad as part of accelerating diplomacy to end more than 17 years of war in Afghanistan, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid says.

But a US State Department representative said in a statement that the United States had "not received a formal invitation to any talks."

The talks would come a week ahead of previously scheduled negotiations between the two sides in Qatar on February 25. Mujahid said in a statement that the Qatar talks would still take place as scheduled.

Mujahid said his side would also meet Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan to hold "comprehensive discussions about Pakistan-Afghanistan relations".

While he said the Taliban delegation would meet the US team, he did not specify any meetings with team head, US special peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.

Khalilzad is due in Pakistan ahead of the Qatar talks as part of a six-country swing through Europe and the Middle East as he tries to build support for efforts to end America's longest war.

Both the hardline Islamist movement and the United States hailed progress after the end of the last round of negotiations in Qatar last month but Western diplomats familiar with discussions say that many tough hurdles lie ahead.

The US side is expected to push hard for a ceasefire between Taliban insurgents and foreign-backed Afghan forces before any agreement on withdrawal.

Taliban officials say they want all foreign troops out before a ceasefire, but would still welcome non-military foreign help to rebuild the country.